Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Shinji Takeda to go from salaryman to assassin in upcoming film

by Chris MaGee

Actor Shinji Takeda is what you call a scene stealer. If you've seen his performances in films like Nagisa Oshima's "Gohatto" or Takashi Miike's "The Happiness of the Katakuris" then you'll know what I mean. He's got a surplus of screen charisma and he ends up outshining most other actors he shares a scene with. Hell, his over the top performance as the calculating manager in Ryuichi Honda's "GS Wonderland" saved the whole film. Okay, maybe didn't save the film , but made it a lot more enjoyable.

Now Takeda is working on a new film that will see him go from salaryman to assassin. Dirtector Kenji Yokoi is currently filming "Kyou Kara Hitman", a live-action adaptation of the manga by Hiroshi Mutou. The manga tells the story of an ordinary office worker, played by Takeda, who somehow gets involved with a notorious hitman, and when the hitman is killed this office worker climbs a very steep learning curve to become his successor.

Feels a bit like an action take on Koki Mitani's comedy "The Magic Hour", but with Takeda in the leading role it might just work. Filming is currently on the go for "Kyou Kara Hitman" with a release in Japanese theatres scheduled for the fall.